


In the Absence of Hecate Hardbroom

by JBlackhood



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/F, Hecate gets all the loves here, Hicsqueak, Original Character(s), Other Characters - Freeform, Pippa might have to face some headaches before she gotta meet Hecate, Post-Season/Series 03, pinning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:15:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27328648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JBlackhood/pseuds/JBlackhood
Summary: "I want to leave."Almost as a whisper, Hecate heard her mind spoken, and her eyes widened at such rebellious words."I want to leave Cackle."Leaving Cackle for the better, Hecate finally decided to visit her past. At the Hardbroom's residence where she had forgotten, she slowly recalled her life before. Not as Joy, a girl who turned her friend into a stone, but Joy Hecate Hardbroom - The Mistress of all Hardbrooms.While Hecate found herself a family she never knew she had, Cackle was crumbling under the absence of their potion mistress. More cross between students and teachers, Ada was under pressure, and pink was a new sign of anger. Better not cross Pippa Pentangle, especially after she just learned about Hecate's confinement.
Relationships: Hardbroom/Pentangle (Worst Witch)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 52





	1. Prologue

Regrets.

We all have to feel them at some point. Regret - a concept applies to both magical creatures and ordinary beings. Yes, even for a prodigious potion mistress, there are mistakes made bonded to regret.

Hecate’s life was full of regrets.

First, she regretted spending too less time with her mother while death hadn’t claimed her life away.

Second, she regretted wasting her time accomplishing and competing with her cousins over witching academic achievements just to please her father - a man whose daughter, she knew, was never enough and will never be enough.

Third, she regretted being Joy. Too joyful, too daring, and too reckless - Joy Hecate Hardbroom was a selfish child, she would say. Using her loneliness to act against The Code, she wished her ordinary friend to no longer be ordinary, and the magic took a troll at them in the end. With the magic being focused to exist where it should not, the power lacking controls had turned her friend into a stone.

From then on, loneliness is her safest companion - her only friend - Hecate had decided.

However, there was a short period of time that loneliness had been quite a stranger. During a time Hecate had been with Pippa in their youth, she believed she had achieved what could be considered friendship with Pippa. 

And there it is; another regret under a new name - Pippa Pentangle.

With Pippa, it was a bit complicated. Hecate would have claimed to regret being friends with Pippa, yet a life without Pippa wasn’t something she wished for. Even if it was just a short period of time, she treasured every moment with the colorful witch. Knowing Pippa would not stay at Cackle forever, she decided to leave Pippa at the moment she was needed. She wished she could regret leaving Pippa or _at least_ feel guilty for leaving, but no, she felt neither of those. However, she did feel sorry for hurting Pippa, yes, but not for leaving her and letting her go. It would be selfish to trouble her dear friend with the truth of her confinement at Cackle, thus Hecate deemed that it was the right choice made at that time. Letting Pippa go, she believed, was righteous and well justified. Giving a push for Pippa to leave her to pursue her dreams without any distraction, Hecate believed it was best for both of them.

And for 30 years that seemed to work out just fine...well, until the Spelling Bee, of course. 

Actually, Hecate could go as far as to say things hadn’t been well since Mildred Hubble attended Cackle. It couldn’t be denied that some easily-avoided troubles were caused or influenced by the little Hubble and her friends. However, it would be too outrageous - even by her standard - to blame all the unfortunate events on the little Hubble girl, she was aware of that. Years with the Hubble girl had given some positively memorable elements with valuable lessons for both the staff and the students, albeit by far the most chaotic and embarrassing. If there was anything for Hecate to be regretted, it would be how hard and cold she had been on some particular students and staff to be perceived as heartless.

Although Hecate had learned to make a home behind the magical barrier of Cackle, it was inevitable to feel out of place - especially in where recently the whispers would follow her on every step she took.

Especially now, after Indigo Moon had regained her life and began a new magical one as her student, Hecate’s buried past had never been so out of the grave in walking - it was infuriating, if not humiliating. The lack of concept of time and maturity that the girl once a stone conquered only gained Hecatea various forms of disrespectful treatment from her and more pitiful glances from others. Not to mention the number of silly accidents and problematic pranks that seemed to double with the cross between the second miss Hallow and the little miss Hubble, in which Hecate and Ada ended up meddling a lot to save the school from crumbling.

In the end, it was the same old story: Cackle was saved by one of the girls and the punishments were never beyond extra work, detention, and writing lines.

The same old story, but different from hers.

_They are children,_ Hecate thought with a sigh as she briefly closed her eyes, _witches in their youth are bonded to make mistakes._

Hecate slightly shook her head before turning to the window of her room, staring into the forest ground of Cackle.

**_“Trapped all those years under the spell behind the Cackle’s wall - ”_ **

The words she read earlier suddenly echoed in her head, causing the electronic device in Hecate’s hand to be firmly gripped.

  
_I am free._

Hecate thought with a tightened jaw, her own magic threatening to electrify her device. 

**_“ - the ghost of Cackle’s castle was none others than our - ”_ **

Even after her confinement was lifted and her freedom was assured by Ada, Hecate could hardly believe in the freedom she received. She spent her 30 years trapped in Cackle, educating ever new generation of witches on the craft of potion and the law of Code - so, forgive her if she wasn’t _daring_ enough to even think of leaving. She had never allowed herself to even dream of flying beyond the ground of Cackle, thus why should she start now? The only time she had gone so far beyond the ground was the desperate time they needed Indigo Moon from the Hubble’s residence.

**_“ - secretly wicked potion mistress, Hecate Hardbroom.”_ **

Her grayish eyes grew saddened, yet with a flare of anger igniting as she recalled the previous events of the day.

The whispers from her own pupils.

The pitiful stares from Ms. Drill.

The prank from Indigo Moon.

The Hubble’s related chaos.

And the cherry on the cake - that _silly_ little blog for the _whole wicked world_ to read written by Felicity Foxglove. Of all people, it was one of _her_ pupils.

It wasn’t meant to hurt her, Hecate was aware. However, the sting of that innocent act from her student only fueled her anger further. At this point, she regretted even allowing _maglet_ in Cackle at all.

And again, Hecate had many regrets. 

Of all those regrets, agreeing to remain at Cackle when she had the chance to leave had now made itself as one of the tops on her list. Another top was believing she _could_ educate anyone about the witching world when her little world had never been beyond a few feet away from Cackle’s castle. An educator in such aspect has to be someone who has seen the world more than half of what was written - someone, Hecate believed, like Pippa Pentangle. Ah, the old regret.

So many regrets, yes.

She regretted. Regretted. And - REGRETTED.

To the point, she was now regretting ever being Hecate Hardbroom at all.

Oh, how she -

_This is nonsense!_ Hecate snorted in frustration, throwing her maglet on her bed before dropping herself on the chair in front of her desk.

Slowly, Hecate closed her eyes, breathing in and out.

Breathing in.

And breathing out.

She calmed her breathing to clear her mind - a technique Hecate had mastered to control her anger while her familiar was not around to smooth her.

In and out, Hecate repeated the pattern for a moment longer. 

Then she signed when she felt her magic stabilized - finally, Hecate opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling above.

_I want to leave._

Almost as a whisper, Hecate heard her mind spoken, and her eyes widened at such rebellious words.

_I want to leave Cackle._

Now louder than before, Hecate was certain it was herself who dared to wish. She quickly sat up straight to gather her thoughts. Over and over, she thought through the daring words.

_I wish…,_ with her heart beating fast, Hecate swallowed the invisible lumps in her throat, ... _to leave Cackle._

_I wish to leave Cackle._

Loudly echoing her mind, the repeated words themselves ignited something within Hecate. Something that had been forced to bury along with her past. A feeling that Hecate couldn’t describe as it had been long forgotten. 

A feeling of desire. 

A bundle of excitement.

A lingering sense of liberty.

Quickly, Hecate stood and began to pace around her room, letting her mind wander in the new realm of feelings. She began to wonder where she would stay and where she could go. 

What would the world offer to a person such as Hecate Hardbroom?

Who would be waiting for her, a witch remained in silence for ages?

Where could she go when she had never visited anyone for decades? 

Hecate frowned before exhaling in a more frustrating manner. Of course, she had to be forever cynical and pessimistic - if not, she wouldn’t be the so-called Hecate Hardbroom.

_‘You are always welcome at Pentangle, Hiccup.’_

A breeze of words washed through her, and she froze on her feet. Hecate recalled what Pippa had spoken via a mirror that week. 

_‘I would love to have you here. To see what I have built all these years.’_

Surely, Pippa would be more than welcome if Hecate asked -

_No,_ Hecate shushed that thought away. She shook her head quite violently to dismiss the internal voice regarding Pippa and Pentangle. 

Clinging her jaws, Hecate thought somberly, _no, I wouldn’t wish to trouble her and be Pippa’s burden._

_Not once again._

_Not like -_

**‘Dab’**

A tapping sound interrupted her thought.

**‘Dab’ - ‘Dab’**

Hecate quickly turned to the source of distraction. She frowned at the sight of a bat tapping the window as if it was asking to enter.

The bat was a familiar, Hecate could tell - a familiar that came with a letter. And, new anxiety suddenly grew within Hecate.

Who would letter her in such a time?

**‘Dab’** \- **‘Flap - Flutter’** \- **‘Dab’**

Hecate thought was interrupted again as the bat flapped its wings annoyingly - **‘Flap - Flutter - Flap’** \- clearly, asking her to let it in.

Hesitantly, Hecate walked toward the annoying bat. When she finally reached the window and got a clearer look at the sight of the bat, she sighed in relief before letting the bat into her room.

The fruit bat was no stranger; Hecate knew the owner of this familiar, and she was more than welcome to hear from its owner again.

**‘Flap - Flutter - Flap’**

The bat flew in and landed on her desk. Under exhaustion, it huffed in displeasure before dropping the letter from its mouth.

Before taking the letter, Hecate waved her hand to magically summon a fruit - a compensation for the bat’s service. With what could develop into a smile, she took a moment to watch the bat joyfully consuming the given treat. The creature of wings had come a long way, she could tell: it often takes a few days before they could reach Cackle without any magical help.

As she was no longer interested in the bat, Hecate slowly opened the letter in hand. Trailing her finger on the grayish waxed seal with the capital **‘H’** imprinted on, she absorbed the familiarity, the memory, and the name of **‘Hardbroom’** with a deep breath. 

_Dearest cousin Hecate,_

_I apologize it has taken months for me to finally reply since your last letter. I have been quite busy with the research we discussed in the previous letter, my children's excitement over witching schools, and my dear wife’s recovery from sickness. I am more than pleased to inform you that your potion has worked magically in her recovering process - not that I ever doubt your mastery in your craft once a bit, of course. My wife and I are beyond words to express our gratitude for your kindness. Nonetheless, thank you. You are always the brilliant witch in our family, Hecate._

_Perhaps it is the wine I am sipping or the drunken joy of my wife’s successful recovery while writing this letter that gives me the bravery to say this - Hecate, please, let us meet. I am well-aware of your tendency to avoid any family matters beyond necessary since you had given me a cold shoulder for months after I asked to visit you in person at Cackle 20 years ago. However, until now, I would still love you to meet my dear wife and our children - your niece and nephew. They all have been asking to see you, to learn from you, and to know you. As much as I hate to admit, our insufferable cousins were right when they said your punishment is cruel and unjustified. Even until now, I believe, none of us deems your mistake as a child is worth the lifetime punishment at Cackle - aside from your father, who - I should not say this to insult the death, but I shall be blunt - was an asshole. I am stopping that here before it ruins our mood any further._

_I believe my statements over your confinement and your father might have given me another long period of silence from you. Regardless, I beg you to consider our proposal in lifting your confinement, again - it has been 30 years, Heceta, we are more than ready to redeem your name. If we must battle with the whole magic console and The Great Old Goat himself, then be it. The Hardbroom has never once backed down a challenge, it would not be according to tradition if we did now - Merlin, forgive me, I sounded like our insufferable cousin for a moment there._

_I know it is too much at the moment, please take your time with it. If you wish to continue the punishment then we shall not interfere due to our respect for you. Not The Code, but for you, Hecate. However, perhaps to put our minds at ease on your well-being, would you consider allowing us to meet you at Cackle in person? It would be good for all of us to reconnect again. For old time’s sake, if it must._

_Your least insufferable of them all,_

_**Theodore H. Hardbroom** _

_P.s. I will send my draft regarding research on spelling science later. Although your expertise lies in potion, I would love to hear feedback from you._

_P.s.s. What would be your suggestion as a great book to start for learning potion? - asking for my dear son here._

It burned…

Not the letter, of course.

Hecate’s eyes were burned with the tears threatening to escape.

Is this the feeling of being remembered? Missed? Wanted? Respected? And loved?

Hecate couldn’t fathom what they were, nor could she be able to explain the lightness and the tightness she was feeling at the moment. So many memories floating back from the time she was Joy Hecate Hardbroom - memories beyond the wall of Cackle - so many emotions running through her at once, Hecate stepped back with her back against the wall, seeking support. 

In.

And out.

In and out, Hecate’s breathing moved in a pattern.

With her eyes closed, Hecate, once again, calmed herself.

For a whole minute, Hecate stood there. Absorbing the moonlit night and the candle’s light in her room. She allowed herself to remember who she was - as Joy, as Hecate, and finally, as a Hardbroom. There was so much she had forgotten, and so little she remembered. Yet, there were so many good memories she had but never cared to recall. While being consumed by guilt from the mistakes she made, she had tried to bury the past, including the good ones.

Finally, Hecate opened her eyes. 

A new flame of determination ignited within them.

Quickly, she walked toward her desk and started to carefully write on a piece of paper; Hecate began to write a letter.

The bat on Hecate’s desk watched her with curiosity as Hecate was done with one letter and began to write another. It didn’t take long for the potion mistress to finish, it noticed; she just swiftly waved her hand and the letters were magically packed with sealed **‘H’** wax. When the witch turned toward it as she handed one of the letters, the bat startled a bit before taking it with its month.

“I know it has been a long flight for you,” Hecate softly whispered to the bat, “But, bear with me a bit, it is quite an urgent letter that your master would like to have.”

With that, the bat quickly jumped on its feet, flipped its wings - **‘Flap - Flutter - Flap’** \- and flew through the window.

Once the bat was gone, Hecate glanced down at the other letter in her hand before turning to look around her room. The room she had for 30 years; her comfort zone and her only safe space at Cackle. The place she had thought belonged to her from then and should be for the rest of her life.

_No,_ Hecate quickly shook her head, _forever no more._

Hecate firmly nodded as she thought, _not anymore_.

Using her free hand, Hecate swiftly waved her bag out and magically things began to pack themselves. While items were being packed by magic, Hecate moved to open her drawer that was full of letters from her cousins. She, then, opened one letter in particular and pulled _the key_ that was within the envelope.

It was a key with an **‘H’** symbol at the far end.

Hecate stared at it longer than she should as if she was under a spell. However, the said spell was broken when her familiar Morgana had entered the room via the window. Slowly, the cat walked toward her, giving her a curious look as if she were to ask Hecate where they were going.

“I supposed I should be apologizing for the short notice, Morgana,” Hecate whispered as she began to hold her familiar and pet her. 

‘Meow ~’

Hecate snorted amusingly at the reply before she said, “However, I do not think I could wait any longer.”

As if the cat understood the statement, Morgana looked deeply into Hecate’s eyes.

“I had never waited because I had never dreamt of leaving,” Hecate softly spoke for only her familiar to hear. “And, now, I have the ability to do so, I could wait no longer.”

‘Meow ~’

“However...” Hecate’s eyes softened at Morgana as she said, “ - this has also been your home for 30 years, I would understand if you wish to - ”

‘Meow!’ Morgana responded with a hiss as she quickly jumped away from Hecate’s arms and walked toward the fully packed bag.

In confusion, Hecate watched her cat huffed with a displeasing frown as if it was scolding Hecate for thinking a _loyal_ familiar such as Morgana herself would leave her mistress to face the world alone. Truly, ridiculous!

‘Meow!’

“Forgive me,” Hecate quietly murmured before clearing her throat and said, “I supposed we’ll have a long trip ahead of us then.”

‘Meow ~’

With that reply from her familiar, Hecate summoned her broom in a wink before she transferred them and their belongings to the edge of Cackle’s ground. At the edge of Cackle’s territory, in the middle of the forest, Hecate slowly took a step over the boundary as if she feared the invisible barrier would appear solid in front of her again.

A first step away from Cackle, Hecate finally took.

No barrier.

No alarms.

No anything.

It was freedom.

All the fears and anxiety left her instantly, Hecate sighed with - for the first time - a real smile.

‘Meow ~’

Hecate turned to look at her familiar who was waiting at her broom patiently with a proudness in her eyes and one last letter in her mouth.

‘Meow ~’

“Right,” Hecate mumbled quietly before she took the letter from her familiar.

_With the swift of my hand,_

_There goes my paper,_

_To the desk of Ms. Cackle,_

_There should appear my letter_

With a wink, the letter vanished. Delivered right into the headmistress’s desk, it seemed to be.

In the silence of the night, Hecate sighed. She looked over the forest to a glimpse of what seemed to be Cackle’s castle. For a long while, she stared with a mixed feeling of missing and loathing.

‘Meow ~’

“Right,” Hecate softly whispered with a gentle smile, “Let’s go home.”

As she stepped on her broom, they began to rise from the ground. Hecate took a last glance at Cackle as a silent farewell to all of the students. Although she wasn’t sure who would miss her there, aside from Ada, she had no doubt she would miss them at some point in life.

_It doesn’t matter now,_ Hecate told herself, _I have something to look forward to._

_Something, finally, for myself._

Hecate’s smile found its way to her lips as she thought of the letter she sent to her dear cousin.

_Dearest cousin Theodore,_

_Although I would love to address many things in your letter, I must keep this short. Many things have happened during our period of silence. One particular that I would like to inform you is - I am now free. My confinement has been lifted due to one of my insufferable students who I shall not name. At the moment of speaking, I am packing my things to leave Cackle. I would love to meet you, your family, and our insufferable cousins if our schedules deem fit. I admit that seeing all of you at once in person might be too overwhelming for me, so perhaps, we should take this slowly by keeping things between us first._

_I am heading back to the Hardbroom’s residence with the key you had given me many years ago. So, if you wish to letter me or find me, I will be living there for the time being. Send my regards to your wife and children, I look forward to meeting them in the near future._

_Your no-longer confined cousin,_

_**J. Hecate Hardbroom** _

_P.s. I suggest reading one of my books called “Fundamental of Mastering the Craft of Potions” - I have covered all the basics needed to advance in the future, including preschool material.  
_


	2. Pentangle's Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Angst. So much Angst.
> 
> The chapter has gone quite as I planned. However, I find it very interesting how I approach the students' reactions and Ada's aspect. Hope you guys like it! 
> 
> If you enjoy, please leave a comment to share your thoughts!

* * *

_**" SPECIAL! Myth Cracked at Cackle - The Ghost** _

_The tale of ghosts haunted the castle of old is not unfamiliar to witches at Cackle. Similar to the other tales you might have heard, Cackle’s story goes in the form of rhyme, whispering by the students from one generation to another._

_**Into the night, there cries a witch,** _

_**Trapped in stone, she paid her price,** _

_**In our Cackle, she was punished,** _

_**For days and nights, she should not leave,** _

_**Beware, witches, of the haunted spirit,** _

_**She seeks and hunts from all to none,** _

_**Aware of the sound at the midnight hall,** _

_**Forever you’ll be in her place as a stone.** _

_Although the story may be twisted along the way, the core of the story remains the same - the ghost of Cackle has never left...that is until now, of course._

_You see, over the last few days, Cackle was in another chaos - you may read the following story on Wishing Star for Witches: Gift or Curse? \- which in the end no one was severely hurt. However, the truth behind the Ghost story of Cackle also has been revealed. _

_Truth from an ordinary girl who turned into stone by her witching friend, we shall call her Miss M to secure her identity._

_**From our interview with Miss M (an anonymous identity) - a girl who recently just returned after 30 years of being trapped as a statue - she briefly told us how the unknown power of the Wishing Star had taken a troll for both herself and her witching friend by corrupting her mind and finally turning her into a stone.** Therefore, we suspect the stone part of the Ghost story is the result of Miss M’s curse while the punishment must be related to her witching friend._

_**“Although Cackle in the era of Alma Cackle was often considered light in punishment, some punishments are simply too cruel for innocent children!” - Cackle’s chanting mistress, Ms. Bat.** _

_After an interview with our chanting mistress Ms. Bat, who has been teaching at Cackle longer than anyone, we’ve learned that the witching friend of Miss M was indeed a once mischievous - yet always a brilliant student at Cackle. The consequence of an innocent wish had granted her with a lifetime-long punishment from the headmistress and the Great Wizard; the said witch had been confined to the ground of Cackle for until the end of her time. However, the unfairness of the punishment may be disheartening and too cruel for others, the brilliant witch seemed to have thrived on her own behind the wall of this castle as one of the greatest potion mistresses in our Witching history._

_That right! Trapped all those years under the spell behind the Cackle’s wall, the ghost of Cackle’s castle was none other than our secretly wicked potion mistress, Hecate Hardbroom._

_Although the punishment has said to be a life-long thing, we are more than glad to be informed by Ms. Bat that Ms. Hardbroom is no longer confined at Cackle. **After 30 years of confinement, she could now freely travel and roam around the world - and not just haunting the hall of our bedrooms or that potion chamber!**_

_If you like the story please give us some feedback. For those who would like more cracking Myth as Cackle, we have the Myth Cracked Collection section - check it out!_

_**Report by Felicity Foxglove "**_

* * *

Pippa Pentangle had never been so furious in her life.

So _furious_ that her maglet almost blew up that instance. 

Even the just word ‘Furious’ itself would not define the current emotions that boiling inside her all at once.

She was angry.

Confused.

Sad.

Hurt.

Worried.

And, still, very angry.

The headmistress of Pentangle has no idea who or what was an object of her anger. Pippa had never been so furious at herself, Ada, the staff, the children, the school, everything, everyone, and even Hecate. The bittersweet emotions she had harbored for the Cackle’s potion mistress since their first meet after so many years of hate, confusion, and silence had only blurred her mind for making any logical decision. Thus, after reading the blog belonging to Miss Foxglove as she was one of her subscribers, Pippa quickly rushed for her broom without further notice to her deputy more than a word or two regarding her absence.

While riding on the broom with an aggressive speed, Pippa let her mind run wild with the thought of the confinement, past, and Hecate. After learning the truth of Hecate’s confinement, never had the Pentangle’s headmistress felt herself being such an oblivious fool - she decided.

_30 years of confinement...,_ Pippa angrily thought with burning tears threatening to leak as she gripped her broom tighter, _I always thought you left me when truly you could never leave..._

_Oh, Hiccup, after all this time, you still wish to remain silent - why?_

On the broom heading to Cackle, Pippa Pentangle rushed against the wind with a goal to confront the once confined witch.

To ask for an explanation, Pippa wished to have.

To aid the wounds Hecate had hidden, Pippa begged to do.

To express her feelings for the potion mistress with a single kiss, Pippa dared to dream.

The thunder cloud began to form in the sky along with the thickening pressure in the air, Pippa could feel her body stiffed with her jaws tightening and her glare burning as the insight of Cackle’s castle came into her view. Unstabilized by the anger within, the flicking magic from the Pentangle’s headmistress grew fuzzier and sharper on the ground as she landed. At the moment she stepped down, the sky groaned reflecting the boiling temper Pippa had.

There was no welcoming, Pippa noted with a slight frown.

Ignoring the odd vibes emerging from Cackle, Pippa shook her head before knocking at the entrance of the castle. 

And, she waited.

Not quite long after her knocks, the door was opened by one of Cackle’s second-year students, Clarice Twigg.

“Ms. Pentangle? - I mean, well met.” Clarice greeted after the surprise. With a confusing look in her gaze, she asked, “Since there was no notify on your visit, I’m assuming, you are here to post as our new potion mistress?”

**_‘SPLATT!’_ **

“What?” Pippa uttered shockingly.

Lighting struck in the sky causing the thunder to cry - **_‘SPLATT!’_ **

_New potion mistress,_ Pippa frowned deeper as her mind repeated those words.

**_‘SPLATT!’_ **

Her body suddenly ran cold as if the anger from earlier left her while the flicking magic within her had turned from sharpening and fuzzing into freezing in the air. Pippa entered the castle as Clarice moved aside to let in, hardly noticing the fog she was causing on the girl’s glasses. The temperature of Cackle’s hall instantly dropped causing the students to slightly shaken.

Once again, Pippa had felt lost.

So lost that it took the Pentangle’s headmistress a whole minute to remind herself of where she stood.

At Cackle.

At Cackle, but no Hecate.

“Um, Ms. Pentangle?”

“Ahem. I apologize, my visit has been rather urgent.” Pippa signed to regain her control, before her tone changed from sounding tired to firming, “However, what do you mean by _new_ potion mistress? Has Ms. Hardbroom gone sick or required a temporary substitute?”

“Oh, no - ” Clarice startled nervously when she felt the shifted tone of the Pentangle’s headmistress. Avoiding the cold gaze from the elder witch, she cleaned the fog on her glasses and continued, “I mean, there’s still a debate going on between the third years regarding it. So, no one really knows if this will be temporary or permanent.”

“This?” Pippa arched her eyebrow with a hint of irritation.

“Ms. Hardbroom’s absence.” Regaining her composed poster, Clarice cleared her throat, before saying, “A few days ago Ms. Cackle gathered us together to announce the absence of Ms. Hardbroom. So far, there isn’t much detail on her reason for leaving, nor is her absence indicated as temporary.”

“Hecate left?” Pippa uttered in bewilderment. “Without a notice?”

“Her potion class is left without her belongings, and Mildred said, her room has been left as if there was no one there before.” Clarice somberly nodded in confirmation, before her eyes widened with the realization of the sort, then she asked, “Oh! Are you here to meet Ms. Hardbroom, Ms. Pentangle?”

“Yes, dear. There are things I wish to discuss with her, thus I have come on such short notice. However, too little, too late - it seems.” Pippa sighed in disappointment before she slightly shook her head to dismiss it. Putting up her signature smile, she asked, “Would you be so kind to lead me to your headmistress, dear?”

“Gladly, Ms. Pentangle.”

As Pippa followed the girl’s lead to the headmistress office, she noticed the unpleasant tension in the school, especially between the third years. For the first time since her visits at Cackle, she saw a thickened line dividing the young witches based on their heritages and witching backgrounds. The students from different years were gathered in groups on each concern of the rooms, they seemed to be studying or revising a subject without much interest, she noted. As she walked passing them, the students began to acknowledge her presence; some perked up with interests, some quickly dismissed her, and others looked rather disappointed as if they expected her to be another.

_Merlin, what happened here,_ Pippa thought, frowning in perplex, _why is there so much tension going on?_

_Is there has anything to do with -_

“Ms. Pentangle!”

Stopped on her feet, Pippa turned toward the well-familiar voice with a gentle smile. The anger and the coldness had slightly been forgotten for a moment as she saw the group of Cackle’s students cheerfully walking toward her. 

“Ms. Pentangle, it really is you!”

The said voice echoed again - always sounded cheerful, Mildred Hubble.

_At least there is still some brightness here,_ Pippa thought as she watched Mildred and her friends approaching her. However, there was one student in particular that she wasn’t familiar with: a girl with darker skin and curly bunned hair. 

“Well, met, Ms. Pentangle.” The girls said in chorus, before some of them turning to greet the second-year girl who stopped beside Pippa.

“Well, met, children.” Pippa greeted politely, and said, “How have you all been, dear?”

The atmosphere suddenly shifted from cheerful to moanful. 

“Not so great, Ms. Pentangle,” Enid Nightshade - who came with Mildred - whined in annoyance, “Since we blew up our cauldron in potion class yesterday, everyone is out for our blood.”

“I won’t say _everyone,_ though. There’s us who aren’t.” Clarice interrupted to correct them, “Half of the school would be more accurate for that statement.”

“Thanks, Clarice,” Enid muttered with a nod. “Ahem - _half of the school_ is out for our blood. There, better? ”

Clarice nodded in approval. “Much better.”

“Oh, dear, was anyone hurt?” Pippa frowned with concerns and slightly amused.

“No, Ms. Pentangle. We all are safe.” Maud Spellbody replied and sighed gloomily, “Only now the potion classroom is locked down due to the amount of toxicity it contains. Therefore, we have to study our potions...without potions.”

_Learning potions without a potion? But that’s preposterous! -_ Pippa loudly gasped catching the attention of the other students.

“Apologies, children,” Pippa mumbled before clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment. “I find it a bit shocking that’s all.”

“Your reaction is well justified, Ms. Pentangle,” Clarice said with a rare sympathy in her tone.

“Yeah.” Enid gave an understanding nod before she quietly muttered with sadness, “I don’t think HB would take it well either.”

“Me too,” The unfamiliar girl - for the first time - quietly commented in the same somber manner.

“Oh, come on, guys! We have been through must worse!” Mildred said toward her friends, attempting to lighten the mood. “I’m sure Ms. Cackle could find a way to magically solve it! And since Ms. Pentangle here, maybe she could -”

Pippa watched Mildred’s expression quickly brightened as she turned toward her.

“Ms. Pentangle!” Mildred exclaimed with excitement, “Are you here to be our potion mistress during HB - I mean, Ms. Hardbroom’s - absence?”

“Um, Millie -”

“Mille, I don’t think -”

“Why not?” Mildred frowned in confusion and quiet of stubbornness before cheerfully continuing, “Oh, Ms. Pentangle, you would be a perfect substitution for Ms. Hardbroom!”

Pippa felt the room temperature dropped. However, it was not her magic doing this time; it was inconsistent magic from various sources, Pippa concluded.

As she watched the other girls attempting to stop Mildred from saying whatever, Pippa began to notice the attention they were receiving had increased over the course of their conversation. With her intuition screaming for a bad omen, she felt her body stiffed uncomfortably.

“Millie, shut up!” The unfamiliar girl harshly whispered to shush Mildred.

“Come on, guys! You know I’m right,” the oblivious Mildred kept talking, “I’m sure Ms. Cackle would be more than happy to have you teaching, so when HB comes back you guys can -”

**_‘BAM!’_ **

The loud sound of a gigantic potions book dropping on the desk had silenced the whole hall.

It was Ethel Hallow who caused such dramatic interruption.

For a moment, the silence was deafening.

“Um…” Clarice who began to notice the ominous silence started to pull Pippa away as she quietly spoke, “Maybe we should keep going, Ms. Pentangle. Surely, you have some other duties to attend later, so it’s best if we -”

“What’s _your_ problems, Ethel?” Mildred hissed with much venom.

“You, _Mildred Hubble -_ you are the problem.” Ethel growled in reply, “Ms. Hardbroom is _not_ coming back, and you know it! So stop spurting lies to others and giving us false hopes!”

“I am _not_ lying!” Mildred exclaimed with angry tears at the corner of her eyes. “Ms. Hardbroom has no reason to leave! She’ll come back, you’ll see! She loves Cackle. She just - just needs some time for herself, that’s all! A break, she deserves!”

Pippa knew she should do something when Ehtel Hallow’s laughter was somewhat horror. She should have said something to stop this quarrel between Mildred and the Hallow girl. However, her furious mix of emotions since the morning had finally returned - increased by the new information of Hecate’s absence had only made it worse. She took her last bits of senses to control the flicking magic that was demanding to explode, keeping it inside of her as she tightened her fits and counted to ten.

“No _reason_ to leave? Oh, _please,_ surely, even a fool such as you couldn’t be so -” Ethel snorted with sarcastic laughter, “- so _foolish,_ Mildred Hubble.”

“What do you -”

“What I _mean,_ dear foolish Mildred, is that -” Ethel interrupted with venom, walking closer with her snobbishly nose high up, “- Ms. Hardbroom has _every_ reason to leave. She has _no_ reason to stay at Cackle at all.”

“No, you’re wrong!” Mildred exclaimed with tears burning in her eyes, “Ms. Hardbroom loves Cackle - that why she stayed to -”

“She was trapped, you fool!” Ethel heatedly replied with her own burning tears forming. “HB was _confined._ Do you know the word - _confine_ \- huh? She couldn’t leave even if she try!”

“Just because now she can that doesn’t mean she’ll just leave us and never come back!” Mildred shouted back, angrily.

“She just did, you fool! She just left us! And, why would she come back to such place where she could do so much better!?! There is _nothing_ worth for her staying here!” Ethel laughed bitterly with painful tears in her eyes. Her voice lowered with her sorrowful gazes, she harshly continued, “Do you have any idea how _fortunate_ we were to be taught by one of _the Hardbrooms -_ one of the oldest and most prodigious households of witching history? Witches and wizards would _bleed_ to learn their craft.” 

“Ethel...” Mildred muttered quietly. “I’m -”

A disrespectful snort echoed, interrupting Mildred’s speech and fueling Ethel’s anger further.

Ethel’s target shifted from Mildred to - the unfamiliar girl.

“Excuse me?” Ethel snared.

“What’s the big deal anyway?” the girl said in annoyance, “Sure, Joy is great and all for potions - but she’s boring. You guys could have someone _better -_ even Ms. Pink here seems like a better option.”

“Indie!” Mildred hissed at her friend in horror. It seemed like it was Mildred’s turn to aid the situation. 

Although the tension of the room grew twice thicker, Pippa’s mind was at the word _‘Joy’_ the girl had used. She knew that Hecate had no longer go by that name, but if…

_“I used to have a best friend, Pipsqueak -”_

Pippa’s heart began to beat faster as Hecate’s words in the past ran through her mind.

_“- and her name was -”_

“Indigo Moon!”

Ethel’s angry hiss had filled in Pippa’s gap as it cut through her thought, causing her to turn and stare in shock at the unfamiliar girl called Indigo Moon.

“- because of _you,_ Indigo Moon.” Ethel’s gazes burning once again as she spoke. “She left us because of you! You and Mildred Hubble - both of you - who do not deserve to stay at Cackle! Nor do you deserve Ms. Hardbroom’s guidance!”

“Hey! You can’t say that!” Mildred replied, hotly, tears forming in her eyes. Mildred’s magic was now flickering as she spoke, “I worked hard to be here! I deserved to be here at Cackle with Ms. Hardbroom! Indie and I -”

“- only caused problems and troubles for Ms. Hardbroom!” Ethel interrupted in anger, and her magical began to flicker, “No wonder she left - you humiliated her! Ruined her well-crafted reputation! You made her feel inadequate by being your foolish self!”

“Dammit, Ethel, you leave Millie out of this!” Indigo Moon came at the front to defend, she hotly countered, “I _was_ the one who switched her ingredients - it was just a prank! Millie has no -!”

**“So it was** **_you_ ** **who attempted to hurt Ms. Hardbroom!”**

Now, a random voice shouted from the gathering circle of angry students.

“Yes - but - I,” Indigo began to utter with fear and shame, “I didn’t mean to -”

“You made her leave! How dare you, you non-magical birth!” - another angry response from the fellow students. 

“Guys! She said she was sorry and -,” a pitiful attempt to aid the situation from someone.

**“Sorry doesn’t bring Ms. Hardbroom back!”**

“Please, could we all be sensible!”

**“Ordinary shouldn’t be witches!”**

“Everyone, _please,_ stops!”

**“Bring our Ms. Hardbroom back!”**

So many noises, voices, and shoutings were happening at once, Pippa wanted to vanish herself out of this situation. She wanted to use magic and just _shut_ them all up.

Her magic was about to explode.

It kept flickering.

Bubbling.

And -

**“ENOUGH”**

Suddenly, magic waved through the students, separating them all to their own corner and leaving Pippa alone in the center of the hall. The Pentangle’s headmistress sighed in relief before turning to greet the fellow teacher who had saved her from the emotional magic combustion.

**“Haven’t you all fought enough today?”**

It was Ms. Drill who had stopped the heated argument.

Pippa watched students averting their eyes; some were guilty while many were angry.

Ms. Drill sighed tiredly then she spoke, “Please, go back to your study. I understand that you all wish to have a good education, and you’ll have that as soon as the potion classes are back to normal.”

They were some who wished to argue but stopped instantly when Ms. Drill glared at them.

“I do _not_ wish to stop you from arguing again. Now, you all may leave to yourselves. Go to your rooms and ignore each other - if that’s what you must do to save whatever remaining peace we have at Cackle.”

Pippa watched a group of students silently dissolved back to where they belonged. She would have found this quite impressive if it wasn’t so aggressive and depressed at the same time.

“Ms. Pentangle.”

Pippa turned to Ms. Drill who asked for her attention with a questioning look.

“Please, follow me,” Ms. Drill said with a tired smile, “Ada had asked me to guide you to her office.”

Pippa nodded with a polite smile as she followed Ms. Drill.

The walk to the headmistress’s office could not have gone without an uncomfortable silence. They both had something in mind, something that needed to be addressed. However, Pippa was nervous to bring up the topic. She didn’t want to overstep the boundary between both schools. The relationship between Cackle and Pentangle might never be the same after Pippa’s meeting with Ada; it could be ruined forever.

The bad blood between -

“It’s…,” Ms. Drill started the conversation in an almost whisper, “It’s okay to ask, you know.”

As if the words didn’t hold meaning, Pippa looked at Ms. Drill, perplexing.

“Ahem. I mean -” Ms. Drill cleared her throat to speak louder. With an understanding look, she said, “You can ask about the children - it’s okay. I think you deserve some explanation after all.”

Pippa nodded before asking, her voice cracked, “What happened, Ms. Drill? Why are they so...angry? Hurtful? And hateful?”

Ms. Drill sighed in sorrow and frustration, “Honestly? I don’t know either.”

Pippa gave her a confusing look, asking for her to continue.

“I guess…,” Ms. Drill continued with a thoughtful expression before it saddened as she spoke, “After Ms. Hardbroom left so suddenly, we all began to panic. We soon realized how much she means to us - all of us. How much Ms. Hardbroom had meant to Cackle, we had learned.”

Pippa listened to her intensively.

“She had been here for so long that we thought she would never leave - like Ms. Bat,” Ms. Drill shakingly whispered with her own hidden pain, “But, but, we didn’t know she was _trapped -_ knowing she was trapped for that long just...we began to feel things _._ Pity, maybe. Or even sorry that we should have made her life easier. Even she was free, we thought she would stay. We thought she’d loved, or least content, to stay here. With all of us, you know.”

Oh, how Pippa Pentangle knew it so well. She was, after all, a first handed on Hecate’s leaving legacy. Thus, she nodded.

Finally, Ms. Drill sighed before saying, “I suppose - although some may not care, some students were here for her especially - a Hardbroom and their legacy - while others might have learned to love her along the way.”

They stopped at the Cackle’s headmistress’s office for a moment.

“I believe it had hurt them greatly when she left - that’s why they are reacting so aggressively.” 

After the sports teacher’s somber statement had been spoken, Pippa was left alone to enter the office.

* * *

The smell of tea leaves was the first thing Pippa had noticed as she entered Ms. Cackle’s office.

A well-brewed tea that Hecate would love to have during their chess games on weekends or while reading her books on weekdays. The familiarity might have calmed her if it didn’t cause her to miss the presence of Hecate Hardbroom so longingly. 

Pippa shook her head, slightly, to dismiss such longing. She decided there would be more time for her to miss, long, and dream for Hecate when her meeting with Ada was over.

“Well, met, Ms. Cackle,” Pippa politely greeted the Cackle’s headmistress, first.

“Ah,” Ms. Cackle looked up from her paper and greeted her back, “Well, met, Ms. Pentangle. I suppose we’re more familiar with each other since our last encounter. Please, call me Ada.”

“Then, I am Pippa to you as well,” the Pentangle’s headmistress politely replied with her signature smile.

“Would you like to have some tea, Pippa?” Ada asked as she stood from the desk to a more comfortable seat with a well-prepared tea set waiting to drink. “Please, take a seat and have some biscuits.”

“Today, I would love to only have a cup of tea, thank you.”

It was an obvious sign that something was wrong when Pippa Pentangle declined a sweet treat - it didn’t go unnoticed by the Cackle’s headmistress, Pippa knew. Thus, she had been so daring to take a seat in front of Ada, daring the Cackle’s headmistress to stare at the flaming gaze Pippa had withholding. 

“I admit to being quite surprised by your short notice visiting - and with a storm, nonetheless,” Ada nonchalantly said as she stirred her cup, “Please, what may I help you with?”

“Hecate.”

**_‘SPLATT!’_ **

A thunder cried, then, Ada paused.

Pippa watched Ada pausing her stirring for a moment before the Cackle’s headmistress slowly placed her spoon and handed the cup to Pippa silently. Still keeping her gaze at the blank expression of the Cackle’s headmistress, Pippa accepted the tea without a word.

The silence was once again deafening, but with more tension as the gloomy cloud gathering in the sky.

That is - until Ada had sighed and decided to no longer keep up a nonchalant expression.

“I wish I could help you with that, Ms. Pentangle,” Ada whispered with a cracked voice. Her expression now frowned with sorrow, giving her more ages than she should - she continues, “There is nothing I could do now, or did better for our dear Hecate.”

**_‘SPLATT!’_ **

**_‘Clank!’_ **

The thundering cry followed by the sound of Pippa placing her cup aggressively on the table had echoed in the room before the silence had taken over them once again.

For a minute, there was only silence speaking.

“How could you say that…,” Pippa uttered her whisper which almost sounded like a hiss. Her eyes burned with, once again, angry tears, “You _knew_ all along. You have - had - always been with her. She had always been so loyal to you. So loyal to the point I had questioned what your relationships were with her! And now I know better! How could you say that when you could have fought for her as same as how she would have fought for you!”

**_‘Clank!’_ **

This time it was Ada who echoed the room with her teaspoon.

“ _Ms. Pentangle,_ ” Ada hissed, returning the anger, “Please, mind your _own_ business. The matter of Cackle is not related to you or Pentangle any further than it should.”

Although there was a warning to Ada’s words, Pippa could sense the anger, hurt, and sorrow that was reflecting through the beaming tears at the corner of Ada’s eyes.

_She was blaming herself,_ Pippa realized with a flash of sympathy, _Ada blamed herself for Hecate’s leaving._

_For her long confinement._

_For everything._

Slowly, the flame of anger which had ignited within Pippa since the morning tunned down. Leaving Pippa with a more cooled head and a clearer sky, she then sighed and cleared her throat.

“I apologize, Ada,” Pippa softly said, “I was out of line. However, I am here not in the name of Pentangle - I am here for Hecate - in the name of her friend.”

Ada sighed before sipping her tea, then she replied, “All forgiven, Pippa. I suppose I should have seen this coming the moment I was notified of your arrival. And, for the record, my relationship with Hecate has always been _strictly_ friends and colleagues.”

Ignoring her own flashing blush from both anger and embarrassment, Pippa silently sipped her tea as she let the Cackle’s headmistress continue.

“I am no doubt partially responsible for Hecate’s such long confinement,” Ada’s tone dripped with sadness as she spoke, “You were right, I _could do_ better. I could fight for her. I could have lifted the curse faster - _20 years earlier…_ But I did none of those. I did _nothing_ for my dear friend.”

Both of them sat in silence for a moment until Pippa decided to break it.

“Why didn’t you, Ada?” 

“A lack of better judgment on my part, it seems.” Ada chuckled humorlessly before continuing with a sigh, “Hecate had always been here since I returned to take over at Cackle, you know. I admire her so much for sticking out the punishment without a single complaint. I always thought she was happy with how she spent her time reading, potioning, and teaching here at Cackle - she was achieving with what had been given, you see. So, I assumed that would be enough; she was happy with the way things were, I thought.”

Pippa frowned slightly as she sipped her tea once again. There was a part of her wanted to argue, and to point out the wrongness in that sentence of Ada. To defend the freedom Hecate deserved many years ago, Pippa wished to argue - yet, she remained silent as she witnessed Ada lost in her own reflection.

“Oh, and how wrong I had been!” Ada let out a tearful laugh before slowly turning it into an ugly cry. With a hand wiping her tears, she painfully whispered, “How wrong I was...to trap her all this time, thinking she was happy. Not asking whether she wished to move on or leave. Now, she...”

Pippa felt her own heart ached, still couldn’t muster a sentence. So, she summoned a box of pink tissue and handed it to Ms. Cackle with a gentle smile.

“Thank you, Ms. Pentangle,” Ada returned with a soft smile before drying her tears with it. “I apologize for being such an awful host, ranting all my troubles toward you.”

“It’s okay, Ms. Cackle.” Pippa nodded before she sighed, and finally, she spoke, “You know...I believe it was also Hecate herself who wouldn’t wish to lift the confinement.”

Ada somberly nodded in agreement. “She has always been all about The Code - so, yes, I believe it was also Hecate that kept confining herself.”

“Oh, Ada, I wish she could see she how is worth more than what The Cide said,” Pippa lamented with annoyance. “I _wish_ she would just let _me_ show her how much she’s worth.”

“Well, I for one, think you have been rather bluntly with _that,_ ” Ada commented with a playful smile, “It’s probably our poor Hecate that was too oblivious or in denial.”

“Maybe. She has always been a brilliant witch, yet so dense sometimes.” Pippa playfully snorted and shrugged before saying, “I believe my own staff at Pentangle are fully aware where my heart belongs. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a betting pool going on in my castle regarding my attempt to develop an excuse for visiting Cackle.”

Ada chuckled at that, “You hardly need an excuse to visit us, dear. Not to me, at least.”

“Well, that’s wonderful to hear!” Pippa laughed in reply before her laughter died down as she remembered who an excuse was for. “However...I do believe there will no longer be a casual visiting such as those from now on.”

The atmosphere suddenly shifted from light and playful to sorrow and somber.

Before Pippa could ask to leave, the Cackle’s headmistress walked toward her desk and began to pull out a letter. The Pentangle’s headmistress took the letter that was nervously handed by Ada, and slowly she began to read the sender’s address.

**_J. Hecate Hardbroom_ **

Pippa quickly looked up at Ms. Cackle with a startle, “Is this -?”

“Yes,” Ada replied with a serious nod. “Hecate had magically left this letter, which I had found in an early morning a few days ago.”

“But, it’s private, Ada,” Pippa frowned in concerns, saying “I couldn’t possibly - Hecate wouldn’t -”

“Shhh, my dear,” Ada softly said as she held one of Pippa’s hand with a firmed confirmation, “Hecate isn’t here - and that’s the problem. Although I’m afraid there isn’t much information in the letter that could find her, I believe it would be a good start - that is, if you wish to go after her, of course.”

Pippa stared at the letter in her hand for a moment, thinking of...plenty:

The time they had lost.

The gazes they had shared.

The gentle touches they exchanged.

The secret smile they gave to each other.

The pain Hecate must have gone through to push her away.

And now, again, Hecate was doing the same thing she did to Pippa - she left.

However, this time, Pippa knew better. She wouldn’t let Hecate Hardbroom go without putting up a good fight. She knew better than to wait unknowingly of the reason why. Now, it was different.

Now, Pippa knew why, and she was going to find Hecate no matter what.

“Yes,” Pippa firmly nodded, “I am going to find her.”

With a smile, Ada nodded approvingly before gentle saying, “There might not be anything left belongs to her, but you can take a look at her room for a clue.”

* * *

_Dear Ada Cackle,_

_For the moment you have received this letter, I shall no longer be at the ground of Cackle. Please, bear in mind that the reasons for my leaving are not yours to be faulted. Recently, I have been reflecting on my own past, present, and dared to dream for the future. Thus, I have come to the conclusion that I no longer wish to remain at Cackle until I feel otherwise._

_There are so many things in life, Ada, that I have missed. There are people who I now wish to meet and learn more about them. With your kindred heart, Ada, I knew you would understand. You have always been my great friend, Ada, from the beginning till forever._

_I apologize for such short notice and the troubles that may have come after. With all of my heart, I wish you the best after my departure. I hope you find yourself a qualified deputy - and not Ms. Drill or our other staffs in that matter. Please, find a time to look after yourself before others: Cackle will not be Cackle without you._

_Your once deputy and forever friend,_

**_J. Hecate Hardbroom_ **

_P.s. I do not deem this as a paid vacation, so do not dare compensate me for my absence._

Pippa had been staring at the letter over and over in Hecate’s old room.

By its previous owner, the room was left with only a bed, desk, closet, and mirror. Nothing else related to Hecate remained in the place.

Sighing, Pippa looked through the only window and wondered what would it be to be confined here for 30 years. With access to the world during their time narrowed down to books, letters, and newspapers, Pippa wondered where could Hecate go.

Wouldn’t Hecate be too overwhelming?

Wouldn’t Hecate be confused with the changes?

Wouldn’t Hecate feel threatening with the way the magic shifted?

Pippa’s anxiety grew as she thought of Hecate and the world she was left forgotten. She would like to think that maybe Hecate had some places in her mind more than just randomly picked a hotel to stay the night.

_No,_ Pippa shook her head as she thought, _Hecate is smarter than that._

_She must have a place - a safe one - but where?_

The Pentangle’s headmistress had begun to pace in the room, shuffling through their memory of their youth and their conversation. Trying to find any hint of information that could lead her to Hecate and the place she deemed safe, Pippa went deeper into those grayish eyes in her memory and the soft kissable lips she wished to -

_Ugh,_ Pippa exhaled out with frustration, _this is not getting me anywhere._

_Where could Hecate -_

“Um...”

Pippa quickly turned to the source of the voice.

“Well, met, again, Ms. Pentangle.”

It was Mildred Hubble who came in with sort of books in her arms.

“Well, met, Mildred,” Pippa greeted with a smile before asking, “How may I help you?”

“Actually…” Mildred muttered with a soft blush, “I was hoping you would like my help to finding HB - I mean - Ms. Hardbroom.”

“Oh, Mildred,” Pippa spoke with her tone softened, “I would love to have your help, dear. Though, I don’t think there is anything much for you or me to use as a clue, seeing how Ms. Hardbroom had cleared this place spotless. I only have Hecate’s letter given by Ada, which has not much in it.”

Mildred gave a sad nod, before perking up with suggestions, “Have you tried a _Tracking Spell,_ Ms. Pentangle?”

“Yes,” Pippa sighed and nodded in disappointment, “It was my first thought, and I had attempted to track her for at least 6 times now.”

Mildred frowned before asking, “Is it possible to not be tracked by a spell, Ms. Pentangle?”

“It is, dear.” Pippa nodded, explaining in her headmistress tone, “There are many causes for that. The most common ones are the lack of power, the length of distance, and the protection spell.”

“A protection spell?” Mildred echoed before asking, “Is it possible that Ms. Hardbroom will put up a protection spell for tracking.”

“It’s more than possible with how powerful she is, yes.” Pippa sighed before further explaining, “However, there are also some places where they have put up the protection spell simply for privacy and their own paranoia.”

Mildred frowned deeper, “You mean if Ms. Hardbroom is there then, even without her protection spell, we couldn’t track her?”

With a soft smile, Pippa nodded tiredly, “That’s right, dear.”

“Ugh, this is a lot harder than I thought,” Mildred frustratedly muttered before turning to Pippa and asked, “Have you tried mirroring her or magleting her?”

Pippa gave a light snort and nodded in another disappointment, “I’m afraid she is not in the area with mirrors, nor has she cared enough to read her maglet.”

Mildred then sighed, dishearteningly, “I wish we knew more about her.”

“Me too, Mildred,” Pippa muttered quietly, “Me too.”

“How about -”

**_‘Ching-a-ling ~’_ **

They both were interrupted by the bell of Cackle, remaining them that the next class was about to begin soon.

**_‘Ching-a-ling ~’_ **

“It seems you should get going, dear,” Pippa said kindly, amused at Mildred’s pout.

“But -”

“No buts, dear,” Pippa said more firmly this time. She lowered her gaze seriously, saying, “I am thankful for your help, Mildred, truly. However, I wouldn’t want this to interfere with your witching education - and, _I’m certain,_ Ms. Hardbroom wouldn’t want that either.”

With a sigh, Mildred nodded as she gave in. “Yes, Ms. Pentangle.”

“Good. Now run along, dear ~”

Pippa once again stood alone -

“Oh, wait, Ms. Pentangle! I almost forget!” Mildred quickly rushed back with a heavy-looking brownish envelope in her arm. “Ms. Drill said it came this morning, and she thought you might know where to send it back.”

An envelope was in the shape of a book. Not a heavy book, but a sack of papers to read.

Pippa thanked Mildred, and this time she watched the girl left for good. Before she began to tear it open, she read the receiver’s address with curiosity.

**_To: J. Hecate Hardbroom_ **

**_Deputy’s office, Cackle Witching Academy_ **

Quickly, Pippa tore the cover without caring if she was violenting any source of Code. It was a desperate time needing a desperate measure, the Pentangle’s headmistress told herself that.

What Pippa found was something to be expected - a draft of a search paper. Something that Hecate would enjoy or read during her free time. However, what had caught her attention was none other than the name on the cover of the paper.

Without a second thought, Pippa rushed on her feet with the paper in her head as she headed back to Pentangle with her broom, planning a new visit to a certain wizard of the Hardbroom household.

Draft

**Study on efficiency of the Eastern herbal treatment on Foster’s effect in adults**

Proposed by

**Theodore H. Hardbroom**


	3. The Hardbroom's Mansion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys! I hope I haven't bored you yet with the lack of, well, everything. It's a boring story, you see XD Anyway, thanks for supporting and commenting - it warms my heart to know you guys like it so far. 
> 
> Also, I have up my work-skin and fic game a bit, so there will be some additional stuff like drawings to keep me going. I hope you don't mind them much. I also learned that some fonts don't work well on IOS, so if any of you have an issue reading leave a comment for me to check it out!

_Dearest cousin Hecate,_

_I’m sorry for the loss of your father, and more for you who is confined by a spell._

_Although I am not so fond of him and his ideology of the witching world, I have found that there is no joy in losing someone - albeit the death of whom you despise. Given your rejection of my proposal on your temporary leave from Cackle to attend his funeral, I assume you wish to keep the detail as short as possible. So, regarding the funeral, I must admit that it had gone neutrally and indifferently rather than a somber and sullen one for him. Aside from an empty speech and a long talk with his lawyer, I’m afraid there is not much to mention in this letter._

_Forgive me if this letter might be quite odd and uncomfortable compared to our previous one with its lack of academic discussion and more on personal family matters, which I’m certain you aren’t keen on. Yet, due to the circumstances, I hope you’ll understand it’s inevitable to discuss after the visit of the lawyer on your father’s matter. The lawyer had informed me about his visits to you, which I’m glad to learn you’re faring well as their deputy despite the circumstance. Thus, I would like to run over the matter regarding your inheritance and the Hardbroom’s legacy to make sure we have it on the same page. After all, it is quite important._

_First, your inheritance; although your father had barely shown any interest in your well-being after he suggested the cruel confinement on you, he left everything - and I mean everything from his shoes to his thousands-year cauldron - to you. If there is anything you need or wish to have, you are more than welcome to ask me or any of us in that matter. We would send them to you as soon as possible or drop them by ourselves; whatever you deem fit and comfortable with._

_Regarding the Hardbroom’s legacy - the Hardbroom Mansion, as you are aware that only the head of our household may have the key to the place, and the position of the head is usually inherited. However, those elder bats claimed your position of the head has been revoked due to the so-called “crime” you did as a child. Simply, ridiculous! And utterly - forgive me for my next word - bullshit. I would not go on a long rant on why and how they could just lift your confinement since you would disagree, and I rather not have another long period of silence from you. Regardless, I was posted as the new head of our household as you might expect. However, the insufferable twins and I agree that the head should only, and truly, belong to you as it is within your rights. Thus, I have given you the key in the hope one day you will be free and we shall return to this place where our shared memory lives._

_Perhaps, it is a bit late for me to show any sympathy, yet I wish for you to know that you’re not alone. You have never been alone, Hecate - no matter how hard it is for you to believe. Even though I have the faintest idea of how you might feel about his death after what happened, I still wish I could be there for you, dear cousin. We all wished to be there for you - only if you allow us to._

_Your always and forever family,_

**_Theodore H. Hardbroom_ **

_P.s Would you reply to Nicholas’s query if he letters? - he has been bothering me with potions ingredient’s quality and efficiency; an area where you’re more suitable to answer than I am._

_P.s.s Natasha has successfully created a special bottle to preserve salamander’s spit twice longer from the book she recently found - would you like me to send you the book and/or her creation for your ingredient preservation? I have found it worked rather wonderfully for mine. Quite useful, I admit._

* * *

Hecate was standing at the gate of the Hardbroom’s residence.

‘Meow ~’

And of course, with the presence of Morgana - the royal familiar - at her side.

Coloring the sky in shady blue, it was barely morning when the sun had yet to greet them in its full glory that Hecate and her cat companion stood in front of the Hardbroom’s mansion.

With the Hardbroom’s legacy in her hand, she stared at the long-forgotten mansion in a blank expression as her feelings could hardly be described. A gothic mansion of her past had never been left so dusted, ghosted, and alone in her memory. Yet, such as herself, Hecate decided, the once graceful mansion was abandoned by time. 

For decades, frozen in time and almost forgotten to the world, the once intimating Hardbroom Mansion was now merely a haunted house for the ordinary to terrorize the children with - it seemed to be.

It was safe, Hecate decided.

Lost in the past, forgotten in time, and frozen to the world just like Joy Hecate Hardbroom.

It was a comfort zone, Hecate had found.

_An irony - it is,_ Hecate thought with a silent snort, _a place I once despised is now the only safe place I dare to visit._

Hecate sighed tiredly from the exhaustion of her traveling and transporting across the lands. She had traveled half of the journey on her broom and later decided to transfer as the world began to overwhelm her with its era she had not recognized. The long flight hadn’t been so bad even though she was a bit lack in practice; she found herself enjoying the scenery of night outside Cackle’s ground, taking in the detail of what had changed and what had remained. However, every joyfulness must have come to an end; when it all became too much, Hecate shook at the unfamiliarity in front of her. Especially at the place she once thought as a familiar - an anchor of the past, the once small village halfway to the Hardbroom’s mansion had grown so frighteningly crowded and bright. Its new sight had shaken her to the point she lost control of her broom, causing her to crash into a tree and fall into the ground. Thankfully, her reflex worked remarkably, allowing her to transfer midair to the ground and saving her from the painful fall. And, that was the moment she decided to materialize to the Hardbroom’s mansion instead.

And now, standing in front of the Hardbroom’s iron bar and rusty gate that was covered by creeping plants with poisonous thorns, Hecate observed the sight in disgust before shifting her attention to the tangible magic bubbling the mansion. It seemed like the bubbling magic was a protection spell that had been placed after the death of her father and, probably, the last visit from any Hardbroom at all. The invisible barrier that stood for more than 20 years was still strong and well-preserved: there were barely cracks of magic or trembles of weakness from the spell, Hecate noted. 

_A strong spell cast by a powerful witch or wizard_ , Hecate analyzed the spell with her eyes closed as she raised her hand to feel the magic, _and maybe there is more than one of them_.

The barrier waved slightly at Hecate’s touch.

_Very familiar,_ Hecate hummed thoughtfully, _these magics._

No reaction, nor an alarm, it seemed to be.

_Ah, a selective barrier and an enchanted key._

With that thought running through her, Hecate slowly opened her eyes and took a small step away from the barrier as she decided to break the spell. It was not uncommon for witches and wizards to use some forms of a selective spell to secure their belonging, yet also allow certain people to access their possession. Hecate recalled her younger self was quite a mastery in chanting that spell; a lingering memory she had shared with this place along with the spell’s casters, it seemed.

With a deep breath, Hecate took before she lifted her key, waved it, and whispered,

“ _With this key, I shall enter,_

_To this place, that I once own,_

_With my blood, I shall reclaim,_

_For my name as a Hardbroom,_

_Vanish the spell guarding this place,_

_For your mistress, without trouble,_

_Dismiss the thorns and the magic bubble,”_

  
  


_“For, finally, I - Joy Hecate Hardbroom - am home.”_

Instantly, the invisible bubbling barrier dissolved, and slowly, the poisonous thorns crept away from the gate. Revealing the cement path toward the mansion, the rusty gate had magically opened as the protection spell was finally lifted.

Thus, Hecate began to enter.

With a bloom in her hand and her floating belongings beside, Hecate guided her way to the ground of the Hardbroom’s mansion as her familiar Morgan took the lead. Within each step she took, Hecate observed the path and the surroundings of the Hardbroom’s mansion. Once again, her heart had ached at the sight of the overgrown woods and neglected weeds, which had invaded the once well-maintained garden and herbs for potion-related proposes. She had never seen the wall of the Hardbroom’s mansion in such a state where the invasive creeping plants had rooted so deep into the core while the color black of the painted wall had faded in such a hideous state. As she walked closer she noticed the cracked lines of the wooden porch and its short staircase that were in no such a better state; the termites seemed to make a home and a feast from the porch during the absence of the Hardbrooms, Hecate concluded.

**_‘_ ** **_Crackle - kee -’_ **

The wood made a shearing sound as Hecate stepped on the porch. 

**_‘Cra - Crackle’_ **

The scent of the moistened wood floated through the air along with the dusty breeze leading by the wind; Hecate took all of them in with her eyes closed as if she needed a moment for herself to apologize to the mansion for such neglect. Brushing her hand through the woods, she allowed herself to be absorbed by the mansion. 

The roughness and edges on her figure tips.

The broken within on each trace.

The cracks inside of the -

‘Meow ~!’

With the interruption from her familiar, Hecate slightly shook her head and nodded at Morgana who was looking at her with curious eyes. 

“Right,” Hecate tiredly said with a sigh, “It seems like we have a lot to do here.”

‘Meow ~’

The reply caused a smile to form, Hecate spoke in amusement, “I suppose it is considered a good thing since we’ll have something to occupy our time with.”

‘Meow ~!’

Hecate nodded thoughtfully, mumbling, “Perhaps a rest would do as well - _after_ we make sure that the house inside isn’t as wrecked as the porch outside.”

The potion mistress watched her familiar huffed in annoyance before it ran out by itself to observe the area further. The owner could only frown at her cat, confusing by its nature, before she shook her head to focus on her task.

The knob of the door was shimmering with golden sparkle as if it was enchanted with a spell.

_Knowing my family that’s probably the case,_ Hecate snorted at that thought, _enchanted lock for only a certain key._

Without any hesitation, Hecate unlocked the door with the Hrardbroom’s key, and her eyes widened on her halfway in twisting the key as the sudden flash of magic washed through her. Hecate turned to look behind her as if the magic was a wind that flew from within the mansion, through Hecate, and out to the world. Following the trace of that tangible magic, Hecate took a moment to stare at the gate of the Hardbroom’s mansion where the magic went, waiting for something - anything - magical to happen after that sharpness of magic she felt.

A moment passed, and nothing happened.

Something was unsettling in the pit of her stomach, Hecate’s intuition grew with concerns. However, she brushed it away, thinking that maybe it was a side-effect from her exhaustion earlier. Being touched by such magic that had been placed for so long after just recently being lifted by one yourself might not be a great combination, Hecate decided.

**_‘Ker-chunk!’_ **

A subtle sound echoed for only Hecate to hear as she twisted the key to fully unlock the door.

A first step in, and the familiar herbal scent of the past washed through; Hecate’s eyes grew in bewilderment.

Unlike the outside, the mansion inside was left untouched from all creatures and even dust as if it hadn’t aged in 30 years. Hecate observed the entrance hall in awe. Against her witching nature to materialize, she decided to wander on her feet. Patrolling through each room on the ground floor for a sight of damage, she could hardly find any flaw caused by time and neglect.

The sudden magic earlier must have been the spell which was used to preserve this place, Hecate made that conclusion after her tour on the ground floor. She took note of how certain things had remained at their places even after she was left to confine at Cackle before her father’s death. It had been at least 10 years of her absence before death took him away, and - yet - this place had been the same as she remembered in her last stay: 

The Hardbrooms’ pictures on the wall of the entrance hall.

The piano in front of the widows in their music quarter.

The exact order of her favorite books and collections in the library.

The small desk for her young self in the master’s study quarter.

The book she had left on the small table in the living room.

The ugly mark she tried to hide after her potion misfit in the dining room.

The set of tea she once loved on the exact same spot in the kitchen.

And, even her younger self’s toothbrush in the bathroom.

Most bits and pieces of her past were still there, Hecate was hit with that realization.

Hecate frowned in confusion more than before; it was like she had never left. There were still all traces of her all over the place in the mansion.

Had her father continued his life without her, yet still left all of her belongings at their place without caring to trash it?

Hecate wondered further as she went into the upper floor of the mansion. Nervously trailing through the hall, she began to play and fidget with the golden watch hanging around her neck; a bad habit she deemed that had grown on her many years ago.

For the first time after the confinement, Hecate sought any unfamiliarity.

A frightening change.

Something.

Anew.

Anything - that wouldn’t make her feel so trapped in time, Hecate wished to find comfort in.

That is - until she went into the master’s bedroom on the upper floor, where the unfamiliar emptiness of the room had frozen her feet on the spot and her grip on her golden watch tightened.

Her father’s bedroom was neat.

Too neat.

Too empty. 

Too, nothing.

In conclusion, no trace of living.

It was just a confirmation Hecate needed: a proof that she was no longer Joy, a girl who turned her friend to a stone. No longer the “Ms. Hardbroom” who was confined at the Cackle’s ground. She was, at the moment, Hecate - Joy Hecate Hardbroom - a person. 

A witch.

With such a comforting realization, Hecate let out a sigh of relief, releasing the stiffness on her shoulders and backbone and, finally, letting go of the watch in her hand.

With the bravery she had mustered, Hecate stepped into the master’s bedroom that once belonged to her parents. Now, it was hers - or, at least, it was supposed to be, according to the tradition. She trailed her fingers over the surface of the wall, the bed, the closet, and all those reminded of her memory’s fragments. 

Her past. 

Her dreams. 

Her childhood. 

Her parents. 

Her mother.

Hecate paused as her gaze landed on the picture in a frame on the bedside table; it was a photo of her and her mother smiling at the camera taken by her father. After all those years never had visited nor had he written, had he secretly missed her presence or at least thought of her well-being? Hecate wondered if she was as easily forgotten as it was for him to her.

_It matters no longer,_ Hecate thought somberly with a sigh, _it was all in the past after all._

Later that day it had been easier for Hecate to observe the rest of the mansion, in which she was quite pleased with how adequate they mostly were. First, she made her way to the basement, heading to the technical room, and was surprised by its state; in the technical room, the equipment and machines were in quite a perfect state as if they were replaced and preserved before the mansion was left. The storage was empty while the potion chamber and its storage quarter had hardly been touched; the bottles of leaves, nails, toes, and many more ingredients had expired in that matter. Perhaps after she settled in, Hecate would look over the potion ingredients once again, seeing whether they were still usable, and restock what was needed with an addition of other varieties. 

The art of potion did calm her, after all.

“Meow ~”

The ‘meow’ from her cat caught her attention again, thus Hecate followed the calling from her familiar Morgana to the yard behind the Hardbroom’s mansion.

“Meow ~”

The outside was still disgustingly overwhelming with overgrown weeds, grasses, and its ruins from time, in which all were loathed by Hecate. The tangling grasses and twisting weeds bladed her dress as she walked through them; another reason to get rid of them as soon as possible, Hecate decided. 

“Meow ~”

As Morgana’s meow grew louder, the view of the glasses-made building tangled in creeping plants and unpleasant weeds had come to her sight. A familiar scent of lavender, mints, and other herbs flashed across her mind and confounded her nose with its illusion - a memory, it was. Suddenly, like the Earth had banished the air, Hecate stopped breathing for a moment as her senses went numb. Her eyes widened and her heart soured; she remembered this place. 

She had loved this place, Hecate recalled.

It was a greenhouse - a greenhouse that once belonged to her mother.

“Meow ~”

Her familiar was now beside her, snuggling her leg for her attention. This took Hecate back from a flashback. Before she stepped forward toward the greenhouse, Hecate took a glance at her familiar and sigh amusingly.

“Ah, so, this is what keeps you outside,” Hecate mumbled with a smirk, “- a catnip.”

“Meow ~” 

A drunken joyful reply from her familiar Morgana only earned a snort and an eyes roll from Hecate. She shook her head and took a deep breath before she began to walk toward the greenhouse. As she entered, she took in the sight of what remained. The tangling roots, outgrowing leaves, and its grubbiness only made her wonder if it was abandoned after the death of her father or after her leave for Cackle’s confinement. The once-glamorous and enchanted home for herbal flowers and plants dedicated to potioning had been invaded by nuisance weeds and troublesome pests.

No longer could bear the sight, Hecate walked out from the greenhouse to face the ugly ground full of weeds that grew around the Hardbroom’s mansion, and began to raise her hand with her jaw tightening then she cast;

_“Swift this place without a trace,_

_Clean this place from all the pests,_

_Weeds and seeds no longer here,_

_Clear this mess at this instance!”_

In a flash, a burst of magic cleared the Hardbroom’s ground, tore the weeds from their roots, and restored the wood of the porch. Being neatly cut and trimmed by magic, the overgrown grasses were no longer sharp and long. Although the Hardbroom’s mansion still had a faded grayish wall, the sight was more bearable to look at compared to before.

_It was a perk of being a witch_ , Hecate hummed in approval of her work.

On the evening of that day, the potion mistress had decided to restock her food supply by visiting the witching village nearby. It was a place that Hecate remembered how she used to accompany her mother in the market or run an errand for her father. Surprisingly, the changes there weren’t so frightening or shocking for Hecate compared to the other ones. She was neither completely comfortable nor was she uncomfortable with some new additions and changes. Instead, Hecate found it was rather interesting to see those that changed and those that remained. Those villagers, witches, and wizards that she had passed by were hardly someone she recognized. Maybe she knew them once upon a time when she was young. There was that possibility Hecate had thought as she walked through the market looking for certain types of tea and ingredients for her supper.

At the corner of the stress, there was an odd herb shop - quite shady, yet strikingly welcoming for the potion mistress.

Hecate paused her way and stared longing at the memory that flashed via her mind; she recalled how her mother used to enjoy visiting that wicked old place and chat with that even-more-wicked woman in it. As if her feet had a mind of its own, she walked into the shop and found herself standing blankly inside later when a strong scent of herbs and ornaments greeted her as she entered, pulling Hecate back to the world once again.

She looked around to observe the place, noticing the decoration was full of plant displays. Every shelf was full of herbal flowers and leaves of all ages while the ceiling was full of the tangling leaves, stems, roots, and hanging pots of those plants. 

The herb shop was hardly changed if it wasn’t the same as the one in Hecate’s memory. 

_Well, nothing seems to change much here,_ Hecate observed the place with disinterests before starting to look for the ingredients. _Now, where is -_

“Oh, my! Are you new here, dear?” 

Being startled by such greeting, Hecate quickly turned to where the question had come.

An old aged witch dressed in all black - the storekeeper - greeted in somewhat excitement, “Well, met, fellow witch! Haven’t seen you around before, dear - I would have recalled such a gracious looking young witch as yourself, dear! Very traditional, and quite becoming of a witch, I’d say.”

Hecate raised her eyebrow with her cheeks slightly flushed at the elder witch flatter. The witch was probably - at least - twice her age, Hecate decided. However, there was something about this senior Hecate couldn’t place her finger on. Something familiar, yet so out of reach.

“Oh, now, now, I may be old but my memory never serves me wrong, dear! I have been keeping this shop opens for 50 years, battling tooth and nails with lots! And, winning! Ha! I have come to remember all my customers and potential customers by now, dear.”

“Um...” Hecate cleared her throat before replying, “I do not doubt your memory, ma’am. However, I am afraid that calling myself a newcomer would be a misleading statement since I have just returned from a long departure.”

“Oh!” The elder witch’s eyes widened in surprise. She stared at Hecate with a frown as if she were to search for something in Hecate’s eyes, “Oh, my, Merline,….”

Hecate watched the elder witch’s frown dissolved as her smile and magic grew brighter. The sudden change of expression only caused the potion mistress to frown deeper.

“A Hardbroom - you’re, definitely, a _Hardbroom_ ,” The shopkeeper whispered in realization, but then her sparkling eyes vanished and took by a perplexed and sorrowful expression as she asked, “Joy? Is that you, Joy of the Hardbroom?”

“How...” Hecate opened her mouth to reply with wits and sharpness but the only words she could muster with a bewildered frown was, “Ms. Tea?”

Ms. Tea - the old wicked witch her mother was so fond of when she was young, Hecate now recalled the less wrinkled version of the elder witch in front of her. She watched as the elder witch’s - Ms. Tea’s - eyes formed tears at the corners.

“Oh, my, Merlin…,” Ms. Tea whispered wistfully as she reached to softly trace her thump on the potion mistress’s cheekbones. “My dear child, you have grown so much. It had been so long. Where had they taken you, my dear Joy? More importantly, what had they done to you, Joy…?”

Hecate’s expression soured at the sight of this elder witch who had so much worry and pain in her eyes. She slowly pulled away from the elder witch touch and held both of those wrinkled hands, giving them a gentle squeak before she whispered, “I no longer go by Joy, Ms. Tea. Please, refer to me as Hecate.”

At first, the elder witch frowned in confusion then quickly she nodded and replied with a soft smile, “Hecate has always been a lovely name, dear. Your mother was a fan of Greek mythology after all.”

“So do you, I recalled.” Hecate gave her a softer smile in return as she spoke with a sigh, “I assumed the words on my punishment had gone around back then?”

Ms. Tea nodded with a tired sigh and she replied, “They were rumors and some detail - mostly from your cousins who sought help from other witches and wizards in talking sense to your father.”

“Had they mentioned the punishment in depth?” Hecate asked with her heart ached in embarrassment.

“Oh, no, dear! Your cousins were as headstrong - if not stronger - as they are now! A Hardbroom’s trait, I’d say.” In amusement, Ms. Tea shook her head a bit furiously for her age before continuing, “They wouldn’t let a single detail leave those witty lips aside from you being taken away.”

Hecate listened to Ms. Tea quietly witnessing the regretful and the defeated look in her eyes.

“I had tried, my dear…,” Ms. Tea whispered with sadness, “However, your father was even worse than an old battle-axe such as myself, I’m afraid. He was powerful in both magic and political senses.”

With her eyes cast downward, Hecate nodded somberly as she replied, “...I deserved it, Ms. Tea. The punishment, I deem, was well-justified.”

The elder witch stared at Hecate for a moment before she sighed and lifted her hand to gently touch Hecate’s face with adoration once again.

“It doesn’t matter now, child, as you are here in the present,” Ms. Tea whispered with a tearful smile, “Welcome home, Hecate.”

* * *

It had been a few days since Hecate settled in the Hardbroom’s mansion and her incident with Ms. Tea.

The elder witch had been visiting her every day in the afternoon for a cup of tea, a hand in her garden, and a tour of the village. They had met new people, new shops, and occasionally, some old witches and wizards who once knew Joy. Of course, being Ms. Tea, it wasn’t hard for her to drag dear Hecate to all the necessary places such as the witching markets, the stores, the potion shop, and many more. If anyone asked Hecate what she loved about this place so far aside from Ms. Tea’s shop, she would say the local potion shop was the second best. Although Hecate enjoyed window shopping at the potion shop, she already had a company she was a loyal customer to when it came to potion ingredients. At first, Ms. Tea was surprised with her empty hands from the potion shop, but after Hecate explained her reason, the elder witch laughed in amusement. Apparently, Ms. Tea was one of the suppliers in herbs and potion ingredients for the Hermes Corporation - a company Hecate had put her trust in when it came to quality. It both surprised and impressed her to learn how the shady looking herbs shop could come this far with a fair bargain.

_Well, you learn a little every day,_ Hecate nodded at that thought while turning the page of her witching news. _I’m glad she is doing well with herself._

At the moment, during an evening, Hecate gave herself another cup of tea to relax after Ms. Tea’s visit. She was surprised, but also welcomed, at Ms. Tea’s spontaneous presence. It was hard to explain, yet the potion mistress found comfort in the elder witch’s guidance through the new world she was experiencing.

_Maybe it was hard for her as well to adjust to the change as time passed in the beginning,_ Hecate thought to herself as she sipped her tea, _I suppose at her age she must deploy some understanding on changes to live this long._

The scent of her tea had caused her to miss the wicked elder witch. Although she loved her dear familiar Morgana dearly, having someone to company her at a time like this was quite present.

Less lonely, Hecate felt.

However, the spontaneous level and the cheerfulness Ms. Tea had provided also reminded her of someone she had harbored guilt for. 

A certain someone named Pippa Pentangle.

Pippa did cross her mind from time to time as Hecate wondered if her leaving from Cackle would reach Pippa now or it would have taken more time. She wondered if her leaving would concern Pippa in any manner, and that mere thought of causing Pippa’s worry would have guilted Hecate the rest of the night. 

There was a reason for Hecate to cut all the signals from mirroring with a spell and ignore her maglet as if it was a plague - she was afraid, to lightly put it. 

Afraid and insecure would be more accurate. 

As the days went by, there wasn’t a single night where Hecate wouldn’t think of the world that had changed before sleep consumed her. 

The places she only knew through papers were provided by Cackle. 

The people she only talked to via mirrors, or they visited at Cackle.

Most of her life had been nowhere but Cackle. 

Even the magic was limited in the wall of Cackle.

The insecurity of not being enough and not knowing enough had nudged the back of her mind, and be the ominous shadow in every corner as she walked through the village in the daylight. Hecate knew it was nonsense to feel such things as she was well-justified for growing up in confinement, yet she felt it was just an excuse. Hence, she felt she wasn’t enough. Although she was a mastery in her craft and The Code, she began to feel it wasn’t enough for the world she was now living in. The free world seemed to demand something - something a lot more - in which Hecate felt that something when she talked with the villagers or Ms. Tea.

Their talk on witching politics.

Their talk on academic achievements.

Their talk on world events and new technology.

Their talk on The Code and its lack of reasons.

Their talk on aspiring modern magic.

So many talks and talks that she couldn’t fathom, and nor had she ever dared to think of. So, Hecate began to wonder if she was enough to befriend a great person such as Pippa Pentangle - the woman who broke all limits with her fresh modern witching academy that surpassed many old ones. Hecate wondered if she would ever be enough for her if they were to be more than friends.

_No,_ Hecate shook her head furiously as her anger rose, she thought, _I shouldn’t be wishing such a ridiculous thing. Pippa, she wouldn’t -_

**_‘Ding-dong~’_ **

A doorbell rang stopping Hecate from thinking further.

**_‘Ding-dong~’_ **

Hecate frowned in perplexity as she gazed at the clock on her wall in the master’s quarter. It was already past 6 o’clock in the afternoon and Ms. Tea wouldn’t return until tomorrow.

**_‘Ding-dong~’_ **

_Perhaps she wishes to gift me another seeds collection for the greenhouse._

Hardly convincing, yet Hecate stood up with that thought in mind and walked toward the door. She found Morgana waiting at the door for her to open and welcome whoever was behind this late intrusion of her privacy. Nevertheless, it seemed like her cat thought that this late visit would be safe, and more than often, Morgana was right.

‘Meow ~’

With a relieved sigh, assuming her familiar’s intuition was right, Hecate opened the door, her eyes widened, and she whispered;

“Theodore?”

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I apologize for any mistake in advance. I am warning you all that I gonna experiment with some stuff in this story, so expect nothing. It can be both heavy and wholesome. Enjoy. Thoughtful comments are awesome! I appreciate your feedback.
> 
> I'm a slow writer, so no pressure. It's gonna be a long journey for us XD


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